Who is the "designated survivor" at Donald Trump's State of the Union address?

US Secretary of Energy Rick Perry will be the "designated survivor" during the US President's speech State of the Union. In case of disaster, if everyone dies in Congress, Perry would be the only person alive under the administration of Donald Trump, so he would have the power to make decisions.

In addition to guaranteeing the continuity of the government in the event of a terrorist attack that ends with the first president and with all the successive officials who met at the same place and at the same time, Perry's function is to react to the facts. For this, he is accompanied all the time by a prominent member of the armed forces who wears the aluminum case with the codes to launch a nuclear attack.

Perry, former governor of the state of Texas and appointed energy secretary in March 2017, is a veteran of the air force the United States.

The first named survivor was the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Samuel R. Pierce (h), named in 1984 by Ronald Reagan. In 1997, another Secretary of Agriculture, Dan Glickman, fulfilled this function under Bill Clinton's government.

Glickman told the story on NewsHour, the PBS program: He flew from a base in Maryland, surrounded by secret services, a doctor and the disturbing suitcase. He went to his daughter 's home in New York, where an official caravan escorted her from LaGuardia Airport.

At the end of the speech, the entire group representing the dignity of the office was removed. Glickman stayed a little longer with his family. But when he left to return, it was raining and he could not take a taxi. "Three hours ago, he was the most powerful man in the world," he recalls with humor.

"The appointment of a designated survivor is often seen with four eyes in Washington, where those who are aware are wondering what this election entails as to the importance of the head in government," according to the website politico.